Justice News

Chicago Area Man Indicted On Sex Trafficking Related Charges

St. Louis, MO - JAMALL BROWN was indicted on charges of transporting two female victims from Chicago to Missouri to Colorado and back for prostitution.

According to the affidavit filed with a criminal complaint on June 29, 2013, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to a report of a battered victim at St. Louis University Hospital Emergency Room. The victim, Jane Doe, told officers that she met Brown through a girlfriend in a Chicago hotel room after the two of them traveled there from Kentucky. In the weeks to follow, Brown was physically assaultive and he forced her and another female, Jane Doe Two, to engage in prostitution by advertising on Backpage.com online service. After spending a few days in Chicago, the defendant transported them to St. Louis where they engaged in acts of prostitution. After a few days he transported them to Denver, then eventually back to St. Louis. On June 28th, Doe told Brown that she wanted to stop prostituting and leave. Brown severely beat her and later dropped her off at the emergency room.

Brown, Chicago, IL, was indicted by a federal grand jury today on one felony count of interstate transportation for the purpose of prostitution.

If convicted, the maximum penalty for this charge is 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentences, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the St. Louis Metropolitan and Maplewood Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney Howard Marcus is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

As is always the case, charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.